Game Predictions: Seahawks Week 9 vs. Rams

Now in an NFC West log jam, the Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for a critical Week 9 game home game against the Los Angeles Rams. Can they avoid dropping to 4-5?

Sep 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) stiff arms Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron Young (0) during a run play in the first half at Lumen Field. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

There is no margin for error remaining in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are both well aware of that fact, which makes Sunday’s bout between the division rivals even more intriguing.

This game features two imperfect teams in the thick of one of the most competitive divisions in football. The NFC West is anybody’s for the taking right now, with only one game separating all four teams. Every other division has at least one team with more than four wins.

Seattle is without wide receiver DK Metcalf and tight end Noah Fant and may be without recently acquired linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Los Angeles has four players questionable and is still without offensive tackle Joe Noteboom.

Can the Seahawks avoid dropping below .500 and get to 3-3 at home this season? Our writing staff has a few predictions and players to watch in Sunday’s Week 9 contest.

Predictions for Week 9

As demonstrated last week against the Bills, not having Metcalf puts significant constraints on what the Seahawks can do offensively, as nobody else on the roster can replace his vertical threat capabilities. Without him, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will need to be a bit more restrained with his aggressiveness attacking downfield and lean more on the ground game and quick passing game, with the former being an area Seattle has not been consistent establishing this year behind a struggling offensive line. The latter also is easier to defend minus Metcalf, so such a game plan may not inspire much confidence from fans.

With that said, the Rams have not been good defending the run most of the season with a revolving door at linebacker and a bunch of new faces along the defensive line. Opponents rushed for at least 122 yards in each of the first five games against Chris Shula's unit, including the Cardinals steamrolling them for 231 yards in Week 2. Though they didn't find success against a Bills defense that ranks similarly, if there's a game where Grubb can truly establish Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, this should be a prime opportunity to do so and open up play action for Geno Smith, which will be critical for getting receivers open without Metcalf in the intermediate game to take advantage of a secondary that has been vulnerable at times this year.

Defensively, the Seahawks unfortunately will have to try to slow down Matthew Stafford with his full complement of receivers, though it remains to be seen how effective Puka Nacua will be after banging his knee in practice this week. The duo of Cooper Kupp and Nacua remains one of the NFL's best when they are healthy and Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell can also do damage on the outside as complementary weapons, which will put a ton of stress on Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and whoever starts at the other corner spot for Mike Macdonald.

But with center Steve Avila and guard Jonah Jackson out, Los Angeles has had a tough time protecting Stafford most of the season, and unlike Minnesota a week ago, Seattle will have its full arsenal of defensive line talent available on Sunday. Looking to bounce back from a tough outing against Buffalo, Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II will need to elevate their games and take over as they should be able to against an undermanned offensive line. Assuming they can get pressure on Stafford and hold up in the trenches against the run, that could be the difference between winning and losing on Sunday. -Corbin Smith

Corbin's Pick to Click: Byron Murphy II

Statistically and on film, Murphy endured his worst game as a pro against the Bills last weekend, but the rookie should be licking his chops heading into Sunday's matchup. After signing a lucrative extension in March, guard Kevin Dotson hasn't been as sharp for the Rams this year, already allowing three sacks through seven games. At the other guard spot, the combination of Logan Bruss and Justin Dedich have yielded 13 pressures and two sacks, while rookie center Beaux Limmer has also surrendered 10 pressures. None of those three players have better than a 46.0 grade on Pro Football Focus, so this should be an ideal setup for Murphy to dominate penetrating gaps and wreaking havoc in the backfield for the Seahawks.

Corbin's Prediction: Seahawks 26, Rams 23

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Metcalf’s absence looms large in this game. To be as straightforward as possible: Seattle’s offense looked dysfunctional without him last week versus the Bills. Then you remove Fant as well, and Geno Smith is without one of his outlet receivers. The return of George Fant — assuming he starts at right tackle — isn’t enough to instill confidence the run game will suddenly work itself out. That’s shaping up to be a season-long issue for Seattle with their current personnel on the offensive line. Los Angeles is also poor defending the run, ranking 23rd in rush yards allowed per game. But that didn’t matter against a Buffalo front seven that had also been lackluster all season before holding the Seahawks to 32 rushing yards.

Seattle’s saving grace may be Los Angeles’ spotty pass rush, which is ranked 18th in total pressures (125), 27th in sacks (14) and 29th in pressure-to-sack percentage (11.2 percent). Even that unit, however, had 18 pressures versus the Minnesota Vikings in an upset victory in Week 8. They still have talent, and Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Braden Fiske all have 20 or more pressures this season and a combined 11 sacks. It still won’t be a cakewalk for a Seahawks line that has allowed the sixth-most sacks in the league (21).

If the Seahawks can’t get Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet rolling, they will have to hope to generate turnovers that can aid the offense — as they did in the 20-point pummeling of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. However, they still have to turn those turnovers into points, which they couldn’t do following Josh Jobe’s interception last week. Then, of course, there’s defending Matthew Stafford, who should have wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua both back in the lineup. Seattle has the defensive personnel to do it, but they have to limit the explosives.

This game should be close, as long as Seattle avoids creating new issues on both sides of the ball. The Rams are winners of two straight and have always been a thorn in Seattle’s side, even when the Seahawks were Super Bowl contenders. Los Angeles is 6-3 against the Seahawks since the 2020–21 season, and that trend may continue Sunday. – Connor Benintendi

Connor’s Pick to Click: LB Ernest Jones IV

This is of course dependent on him playing, but if he does, this has to be the pick. During the week, Jones said he was “surprised” when the Rams traded him away this offseason. Obviously, Los Angeles general manager Les Snead was never going to deal him to a division rival, but the Seahawks managed to acquire him just a few months later from the Tennessee Titans.

Jones, who is questionable with a neck injury, was brought in to be one of Seattle’s linebackers of the future. With a full week of practice this down week, he should be able to play more freely, and he has the extra motivation of playing the team that drafted him and eventually dealt him elsewhere.

Connor’s Score Prediction: Rams 18, Seahawks 14

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